The Long Sojourn
by Michael2
Summary: These are the voyages of the merchant ship Gronte. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to salvage lost technology and find new markets. But when a salvage mission endangers the ship and its crew, can the Enterprise save them?
1. Chapter 1

Mux looks at the portion of the corridor, illuminated by the flashlight he is carrying. He sees metal bulkheads, as well as exposed conduits. Two others are with him, with one of them carrying a video recording device. The surface of the corridor is caked in a layer of dust.

"It does not look like an Imperial design," Mux says into a communicator built into his helmet.

"Our scans show that this structure dates back to their time period, at least," replies Vakit, the skipper of this salvage operation. "They might have Imperial tech there."

Mux continues his search. He had been in the salvage business for over ten years, searching uncharted, uninhabited regions of the galaxy for artifacts and ruins left behind, long, long before he was born. He and his two companions searching this abandoned space station were clad in sealed suits and carrying medium-sized weapons. The salvage business is a dangerous business, after all.

There is air inside the structure, but none of the salvagers wanted to risk breathing it. The air supply in their air tanks would provide enough air for maybe three hours- at least according to the heads-up display that appears on the faceplates of their helmets.

Their footsteps echo as they walk, each echo sounding eerie. The three explorers come to a dead end.

At the end of the corridor, one of the salvagers notice a seam.

"Looks like a door, sir," he says.

"Maybe there is an access panel," says Mux. He fiddles around, and feels something attached to the bulkhead. He removes the object-a metal plate- spraying a cloud of dust.

"Jalven, can you get this open?" asks Mux.

"I'll see what I can do," replies Jalven. He holds a device with gloved hands, attaching wires to the conduits behind the open panel. Symbols appear on a small screen on the device.

They all hear a sound of things moving. The door is opening.

For a moment they wonder if the door is opening to a treasure trove, or to their doom.

But behind the door is what looks like an outdoor area.

A sky, a wooden house, trees, open ground. It looked like a farm.

"Must be some sort of hologram," says Jalven.

"You like starting the obvious, don't you?" asks Mux.

"I state things for the record."

The door to the farmhouse is opened, and a man dressed in typical farmer garb walks out.

"Excuse me," says Mux." I did not know…"

A strange sort of tingling energy surrounds him. He looks at his ciompanions, and sees that strange energy envelop them as well.

And then, they find themselves on the bridge of the ship, realizing that they had been teleported. They knew that the ancient Imperials had teleportation technology, although they had doubts this was an Imperial structure.

"Mux?" asks one of the people on the bridge.

"Skipper, I…"

"We are being scanned by a tetryon beam," says one of the bridge crew members, sitting at a console examining a screen.

"There is some sort of wave coming at us," says another crewman.

And then, the ship shakes and rumbles and rocks, and everyone is knocked about.


	2. Chapter 2

"Some sort of displacement wave just dissipated, sir."

Federation Starfleet Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu sits in the chair in the bridge, looking at the large viewscreen. It display sa picture of deep space, with various stars in the background.

"We are detecting a signal," says a bridge officer. "Getting a fix."

"Can you put it on audio?" asks Sulu.

"Yes, sir."

He and the rest of the crew hear a series of beeps from the bridge's speakers, which play in some sort of pattern. "It seems to be artificial," says the lieutenant.

"I have a fix on the velocity and position," says a yeoman clad in a red shirt.

"Take us on an intercept course."

The helmsmen presses some buttons, and the _Enterprise_ changes course to intercept the source of the signal, impulse engines sending the interstellar ship on a new trajectory.

Sulu listens to the bridge personnel. So far, everything is okay. All of the crew remain alert. Whatever the source of the transmissions, it is heading somewhere dangerous.

"The source is identified," says a bridge officer. "It is a ship."

"Magnify," says the lieutenant.

Sulu looks at the viewscreen and sees the ship. It looks like a bunch of polyhedrons joined together within the boundaries of an invisible box. He hears the crew give further description- 120 meters in length, 25 meters in beam, about twenty life forms on board.

And the ship is on an inbound trajectory towards a black hole, about thirteen times the mass of Earth's sun, a black hole that the _Enterprise_ has been orbiting for the past day on a survey mission.

"Captain to the bridge," says Sulu. "We have a situation here."

Minutes later, Federation Starfleet Captain James Tiberius Kirk walks through the door to the bridge, clad in his yellow command uniform.

"Situation, Mr. Sulu," says the captain.

"We detected a ship that appears to be spiraling into a black hole. The power seems to be out. Tractor beams are ready, and an intercept course is laid in. We have ten minutes before the tidal forces become dangerous to that vessel."

"Then let's do it," says Kirk, sitting in his chair.

The Federation vessel approaches the alien craft closer and closer. The bridge crew pays attention to the various dials and screens, especially the readouts that have to do with shield strength and hull integrity.

"We're within range," says a crewman. "Tidal stresses are well within tolerance."

"Let's save them," says Kirk.

"Activating tractor beam," says Sulu, pressing buttons on his console. Kirk looks at the alien craft as it goes further towards the black hole. At least it is a black hole, and not what astrophysicists now call a red hole. Red holes are much more dangerous; they had affected the life of James T. Kirk since the day he was born.

The Enterprise approaches, and its tractor beam locks on the alien craft. It pulls the craft away from the black hole as the bridge crew keeps watch on the instruments and dials. Both ships get further and further away from the black hole.

"We should be safe," says Sulu. "Shutting down tractor beam."

The two ships orbit the black hole at about forty Schwarzschild radii from the center.

"Sensors indicate the ship has a near total loss of power," says the lieutenant. "Without life support…."

"Sick bay," says Captain Kirk, "prepare a quarantine; we're beaming survivors in."

Ooooooo

Mux feels tingling, and he finds himself in completely unfamiliar surroundings. He glances around, seeing his fellow crewmates.

"We seem to have been transported, sir," says Jalven. "Just like before."

"Acknowledged."

"We got wounded," says one of the crewmen.

Mux and the others look at the other side of this glass pane. There were people on the other side, covered head to toe in these suits. They had two arms and two legs, judging from the shape of the suits. They could hear speech in a language unfamiliar with them.

"The skipper's dead," says another crewmen.

Mux lowers his head in grief. He had known the skipper for fifteen years. He briefly recalls the many adventures they had together, the alien artifacts they recovered, their celebrations in taverns on various worlds, his attendance of his wedding in Ytrol.

"What do we do now?" asks Jalven.

"We wait. And hope they are not pirates."

oooooooooooo

 _Captain's log. During a scan of a black hole, a ship appeared out of nowhere and was nearly torn apart by the black hole's tidal forces. We rescued the ship and her crew was transported to the quarantine area next to sick bay. Lieutenant Uhura is working on coming up with a translation for the aliens' language, based upon their conversations._

"The translation matrix is ready, Captain," says Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, the chief communications officer for the _Enterprise_. "I'm patching you to the quarantine area."

"Copy, Lieutenant," replies Captain Kirk, sitting inside his ready room. The screen shows the quarantine area. He takes a look at the aliens. They have a humanoid shape. They all have bone ridges along their jaw and one ridge eack extending from the eyes to the top of their heads. Their skin has spots. These particular aliens are dressed in rough clothing.

"This is Captain Kirk of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_ ," he says. "We have rescued your ship from the black hole. Is there anyone there who speaks with authority."

Kirk sees the aliens speak to each other. He can hear snippets of words in English, as the aliens speak to each other.

"I am Mux," says one of the aliens. "I am..now Captain of the _Gronte_. We thank you for saving us."

"You are welcome, Captain Mux. Listen, our medical staff will check you and your crew for any pathogens that may be hazardous to our ship. In the meantime, we have an engineering team at our disposal to help you fix your ship. If we can fix your warp drive, you can head to the nearest friendly world or starbase."

"I see," answers Mux. "Jalven is chief engineer now. He should be able to help."

"Listen, Mux, the Federation has never encountered your language before. We should do some talking. Our translation matrix can learn your language, allowing us to understand each other better. Scotty is going to need that when he and your chief engineer beam to your ship."

Oooooo

"I don't know if I can do this," says Jalven. "I've only helped the chief."

"You are the chief now," says Mux. "Just like I am a Captain." He whispers in Jalven's ear. "Be very careful of what you say."

"Okay, Mux," says the man calling himself Captain Kirk. "Where are you from?"

"My world is called Rinax," says the captain of the _Gronte_. "It is a moon, orbiting its planet Talax. I lived on Rinax colony. My ship's homeport is on a deep space dock in that same system."

"What is mission of your ship?"

"Well, Captain Kirk, we are a merchant ship. We ply our wares in many places like Trabus and Banea. We also do salvage work. It is quite a lucrative business, especially in our part of the galaxy."

"And where is that?" asks Kirk.

"Actually, I don't know, now. Perhaps accessing the _Gronte's_ nav systems will let us know where we are. So what does your Enterprise do?"

"we are on a five year mission to explore the galaxy, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."

"Very similar to what we do. Us merchant crews have to explore the unknown to find new opportunities."

"I'm sure your engineer wants to check on your ship."

Ooooooooooo

Several shimmering lights appear inside the now dead cabin of the _Gronte_ , and several people, all in space suits, materialize.

"Can ye tell me where the engineering section is?" asks Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the chief engineer of the _Enterprise_.

"We'll lead you there," replies Jalven. They walk along the dark corridors, with magnetic clamps allowing their feet to stick to the surface.

"We can't use the left, so we'll have to use this ladder."

One by one, the engineers of both the _Gronte_ and the Enterprise descend down a ladder. Scotty looks around with his flashlight, seeing yet another piece of alien technology.

Even so, he recognizes damage when he sees it, with wires and conduits hanging loose from the ceiling.

The chief engineer sees a weird glow on his space suit.

"There is the antimatter tank," says Jalven. Scotty looks at it, an upright, glowing cylinder.

Jalven then removes a panel and hands it to an engineering assistant, as ther gravity system is offline. He looks at a piece of mangled, charred equipment, with pipes and wires broken.

"Oh, this is bad," he says. "These relays are fused beyond repair. We're going to have to fabrticate a new assembly."

It's worse than that," says an engineering assistant, pointing a hand.

Both Scotty and Jalven look at the direction. They see a hole in the bulkhead, opening to empty space.

They both know the ship would have be towed into a spacedock for full repairs.

"let's access the nacv records," says Jalven.

Ooooooooooo

Commander Spock enters the bridge of the _Enterprise_. The bridge is the nerve center of this ship, with consoles where crewmen and officer oversee and operate the ship's systems.

"Captain," he says, "we found something from the navigation records of the _Gronte_.

"We'll speak in my ready room," replies Kirk. "Sulu, you have the bridge for now."

"Yes, sir," replies Sulu.

The two men go into the captain's ready room adjacent to the bridge. The two men had known each other for three years. Their first meeting had been at Starfleet Academy, when Kirkm was a cadet and Spock was an instructor. Due to unusual circumstances, Kirk became captain of the enterprise shortly afterward.

"Okay, Spock, what did we learn about our new guests."

"Well, Jim, due to the hull breach in the _Gronte's_ engineering section, we can not make the ship spaceworthy here. It will be necessary to either tow the ship to the nearest friendly starbase or summon a repair ship."

"That I'm not worried about. We're not too far from friendly territory. We might be able to call in a favor."

"We know where the ship came from. We compared the _Gronte's_ navigational data to our own star charts."

"And what did you find?"

"The _Gronte's_ home port in the Talax system is in the far end of the Delta Quadrant, about seventy thousand light years from Earth. And from what we can tell, they traversed this distance in less than one day."


	3. Chapter 3

_Captain's Log. An examination of the Talaxian ship's navigation records led us to conclude that the ship had traveled all the way from the Delta Quadrant to here in less than one day. I have decided to open an encrypted comm channel with Starfleet Headquarters to discuss the implications._

"So you've double checked your calculations," says Admiral Nensi Chandra.

"I had Spock, Sorensen, and Nguyen go through the aliens' nav logs independently, three times," replies Captain James Kirk. "They all agree that the..Talaxians came from the Delta Quadrant, and took less than a day to get here."

Kirk looks at Admiral Chandra. The admiral is a dark-haired man with skin the color of wood. He is clad in a gray tunic that is the standard uniform for the Federation Starfleet. Chandra had been Kirk's contact with Starfleet Command ever since the beginning of the _Enterprise's_ mission. Mostly, contact consisted of Kirk sending a weekly report, but he and Admiral Chandra had conversed on matters in which Starfleet Command would have a particular interest.

And certainly a ship that traveled all the way from the Delta Quadrant in less than a day qualifies as such.

Under Federation star charts, the Milky Way Galaxy is divided into four quadrants- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The Alpha-Beta boundary passes through the Sol system. It would take the Federation's fastest vessels sixty years to reach the Beta-Delta boundary.

And, given the approximate location of Talax, it would take about half a century to travel from the Beta-Delta boundary to Talax.

"It hardly needs to be said that a ship that can traverse the galaxy under its own power in less than a day would be a game changer," replies the admiral.

"Spock tells me it would take over a century for the _Enterprise_ to reach Talax in the Delta Quadrant. We've already downloaded information from the _Gronte's_ computer core, and Commander Scott is working with the Talaxian engineers to do some repairs and obtain as much information on the FTL propulsion systems."

"If we can repair the ship, I am sure the authorities of this Talax place would reward the Federation."

"The problem, sir, is that the _Gronte_ is too heavily damaged to repair the ship where we are now. We're going to need to tow the ship to a space dock. Furthermore, towing a ship at warp would reduce our speed. Fortunately, there is a friendly spacedock within…"

"No, Captain," says Admiral Chandra. "You will tow the ship to Starbase 66. The ship must not be allowed to fall into alien hands. The engineers at Starbase 66 should be more than capable of completing the necessary repairs."

"Yes, sir," says Kirk. "I understand, sir."

Oooooooooo

Captain Mux and some of the surviving officers of the _Gronte_ are escorted by redshirt-clad security personnel to a large conference room, with a long table and chairs. They had earlier been informed by the _Enterprise's_ medical officer, a man who called himself McCoy, that they were clear to leave the quarantine area.

"I wonder what will happen," says one of the crewmen.

"We will find out, Rem," replies Jalven. "Just be patient."

Two men enter. Mux recognizes one of them as Captain Kirk, with his brown hair and gold tunic. The other man has black hair, a blue tunic, and pointed ears.

"Hello, Mux," says Kirk. "It is nice to meet you in person."

"Our pleasure, Captain," replies Mux.

"We have some news to share to you," the Federation captain says to his Talaxian guests. "First of all, we have been able to deduce our location in relation to Talax. Based upon your ship's nav records and our star charts, you are about seventy thousand light years from Talax, on the other side of the galaxy."

"That is very far away," says the Talaxian captain.

"As many of you might know already, we can not repair your ship here. However, the Federation has a ship repair facility in Starbase 66. We will have to tow your ship using a tractor beam. Because of this, it will take us nine days to reach Starbase 66. Once there, we will fix your ship."

"Jalven should be able to help. We might also be able to make some repairs on the _Gronte_. To at least restore life support, illumination, and long-range communications."

"Which means you can send a message to the authorities on Talax," says Kirk.

"Why, yes," replies Mux. "We can inform them we are still alive."

"It's important to let your families know you are safe."

"And to tell the news of those we lost. Captain Vakit was a brave man, braver than most. He spent over thirty years traveling between the stars, the first ten as part of the Space Guard, before becoming a merchant officer."

"The Space Guard?"

"A fleet of Talaxian ships. They do search and rescue, piracy suppression."

"As does the Federation's Starfleet."

"Vakit and I were friends. We were at each other's weddings. I just can't believe he's gone."

Memories surface and blend together. Mux can remember he and Vakit visiting ancient ruins, eating appetizers in seedy taverns, dressing in expensive formal attire as they watched each other take sacred vows.

Grief surfaces upon the memories of Vakit's lifeless eyes. It is hard to believe he would never speak to Vakit again.

"We can preserve the bodies. Once repairs to your ship are made, you can go bring them home to Talax."

"Maybe."

"Bridge paging Captain Kirk," says Lieutenant Uhura, speaking over the intercom.

Kirk walks to a telephone mounted on the wall and picks up a handset.

"Kirk to bridge," he says.

"You have a secure message from Starfleet Command," says Uhura. "It is urgent."

"Excuse me," Kirk says to the Talaxians. "I have urgent business to attend to. I am sure Commander Spock can take over."

"I am Commander Spock," says Spock. "You may direct any questions to me."

"What can you tell us about the Federation?" asks Rem.

Ooooooooooo

"We don't have anything like a Federation in our part of the galaxy," says Rem, walking along a corridor. "Alien civilizations, working together towards a common goal, yet all retaining their own laws and customs. How in the galaxy did it come to be?"

Rem and Commander Spock are now sitting in the officers' mess. Rem notices that it is a much larger mess than the officers' mess on the _Gronte_ , due in no small part to the Federation starship having a much larger crew. Several other Talaxians are in the mess, speaking with the _Enterprise_ officers.

"A long story that involves a common enemy," replies Spock. "After defeating them in a war, the Federation was founded, on Planet Earth."

"Earth?"

"Captain Kirk's home world, as Talax is to yours."

"Any family back home, Commander Spock?"

"My father is alive and well, last I heard. And, uh…my older brother, you can say, is doing fine."

"I have no one waiting for me back on Talax."

"You have your crewmates."

"Well, I guess they are all I have now. I signed up for starship crews even before I finished growing up. I don't have a staff position on the _Gronte_ \- merchant crewmen on Talax are hired for tours, and they are released when the ship arrives back in port with its goods."

"There is something we have been considering offering you and your crew," says Spock. Our communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura, has been working on refining the translation of your language. We could translate a cultural database of Federation worlds- Earth, Andoria, Tellar…Vulcan. I am sure some people on Talax might be interested in comparing our histories."

Oooooooo

"This should be the last connection," says Chief Engineer Jalven, soldering a wire to a box. The Talaxian walks over to a panel. "If this works." He takes a deep breath, and flips some switches.

Suddenly, the interior of the ship is illuminated.

"You did it," says Scotty.

"The real question is if we have our life support systems back online." Jalven looks at a device, the Talaxian equivalent of a tricorder. "Oxygen partial pressure rising." He continues looking at the little screen. "I should be able to breathe."

Jalven releases the pressure seals, creating a hissing sound. He removes his helmet and breathes the air.

"The air is breathable," he says.

"It should be breathable for us humans too," says Scotty, removing his helmet. "This should make things easier."

"I do want to get as much work done as I can."

"So, how did ye end up on this ship?"

The Talaxian searches his memories. "I've always been interested in starships," says Jalven. "I remember reading books about thrusters and warp cores when I was a boy. After getting my engineering license, I worked on several ships. I was first assistant engineer before this ship was sent to your end of the galaxy." The engineer looks down. "Kratchet was a great chief engineer; taught me a few tricks the professors at the college didn't. So what about you?"

"Well, it was a long story," replies Scotty. "I was workin' on transporters that could beam people between star systems. But there was a wee little accident and I was exiled to some ice planet. As it turned out, the cap'n had been marooned there- he wasn't cap'n yet. I used the interstellar transporter to beam us aboard the _Enterprise_. When Kirk became cap'n, he requested that I be assigned on board."

"Quite an interesting story."

Oooooooooo

 _Captain's Log, supplemental. Scotty assisted the Talaxians in finishing some repairs on the_ Gronte _. Life support and short range communications were restored. We are now prepared to tow the Talaxian ship at warp._

"We are ready to begin the tow," says Captain Kirk.

"Copy," replies Jalven, his image appearing on the viewscreen.

"Excuse me, Captain Kirk," says Captain Mux, who is standing on the bridge of the _Enterprise_.

"Yes?" asks the Enterprise captain.

"As captain of the _Gronte_ , I must be aboard. I will let Rem here observe from your ship."

"Me, sir?" protests Rem. " I'm not staff…"

"This far from home with over half of our crew dead, that's beside the point."

"Yes, Captain."

Mux walks to the transporter room. He takes a look around the device, the same device that saved the lives of him and the others. There is a large pad, and a boxy device that looks to be the control console. A man in a blue outfit operates the controls, beaming the Talaxian captain to the _Gronte_.

Back on the bridge, a man in his early twenties, clad in a red Starfleet working uniform, sits at as console.

"Tractor beam is powered up," he says.

"Okay, Ensign Chekhov," says Kirk. "Do it."

Pavel Chakhov presses a button. A tractor beam is emitted from the Federation ship, locking onto the _Gronte_.

"Impulse acceleration," says the captain.

"Tractor beam is holding," replies Chekhov.

"Let's go to Warp One."

"Going to warp," says Lieutenant Sulu.

"Tractor beam is holding," says Chekhov.

"Slowly increase warp factor and monitor tractor beam integrity," says Kirk.

"At our course, it will take nine days for us to reach Starbase 66," says Sulu.

Oooooooo

"You okay, Ensign?" asks Scotty, seeing Ensign Chekhov as he is walking into the engineering offices to do some paperwork.

"Yes," replies the ensign, looking at a screen. "I've been looking at the nav logs from the _Gronte_."

"What have you found?"

Ooooooo

"Well, sir, checking the nav logs, it does not appear the Talaxian ship has ever been in this quadrant before," says Chekhov. "In fact, it does not appear they even left their little corner of the Delta Quadrant before yesterday."

Chekhov and Scotty are inside the captain's ready room with Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, briefing the two officers on this latest discovery.

"Any thoughts, Commander?" asks Kirk.

"It is easier to trade nearby than far away," says Spock. "There are probably millions of suitable markets in the Delta Quadrant alone."

"Yes, sir," says Chekhov. "But it seems the ship traveled in merely one corn-"

"Bridge to Captain Kirk," says Sulu, speaking over an intercom. "A Klingon ship is on an intercept course."


	4. Chapter 4

The starship _Enterprise_ warps through the void within the Milky Way Galaxy. It looks like a white disk with a tail with two cylindrical structures attached to the tail. On the disk is written "U.S.S. Enterprise" and NCC-1701.

Behind it is a ship named the _Gronte_ , whose origins lay across the galaxy, from a star system that includes a planet called Talax and a moon called Rinax, towed by tractor beam by the _Enterprise_.

And following these two ships is a Klingon Empire D-7 class battle cruiser. It is shaped like a sphere connected to this U-shaped structure, where the warp nacelles are located.

Captain James Kirk sits on the bridge of the Enterprise, his full focus on the Klingon ship following them.

"The Klingon ship is maintaining a constant distance of forty thousand klicks," says Ensign Pavel Chekhov.

"Hail them," says the captain.

"Hailing them, sir," says Lieutenant Nyota Uhura.

"This is Captain Kirk of the Federal starship _Enterprise_."

An image appears on the bridge's main viewscreen. The image is that of a bearded, dark haired man, resembling a human.

"Greetings, my friend," he says. "I am Captain Koloth of the Klingon Imperial cruiser _Gr'oth_. I am presently scouting for the Empire, identifying any potential allies or enemies. I do notice that you are towing a ship at warp. Did you do battle with them?"

"No. The ship sent a distress call, we rescued them and are towing them to the nearest Federation starbase for repairs."

"From what I am told, it would take eight of your days to reach the nearest Federation base. I do have some engineers on this ship. Perhaps if we combine our efforts to fix your guest's ships, we can fix the ship enough that it can travel under its own power."

"That's not necessary, Koloth," says Kirk. "We have ample supplies and the starbase personnel are expecting us."

"But think of an opportunity, Captain Kirk. Our peoples have had hostile relations for over a century. If our crews worked together to help stranded aliens, perhaps it would open up peace talks."

"No, thank you. We have this handled."

"They continue to match our speed and course," says Chekhov.

"Yellow alert," says Kirk. The bridge is lit with flashing yellow lights. He starts thinking.

Maybe Koloth is merely on a scouting mission for the Klingon Empire.

But it might be possible that the Klingons had broken Federation encryption, and knew the Talaxian ship's true nature, and the strategic advantage the ship's propulsion technology could provide.

Would the Klingons risk open war with the Federation for that one ship?

The _G'Roth_ continues its present course and speed.

Kirk knows he could not let the Klingons get their hands on the _Gronte_.

"Change heading, seven degrees," says Kirk.

"That will take us straight though Husnock space," says Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu.

"That's the idea."

"We should reach the Husnock border in two minutes," says Chekhov.

Rem watches silently, wondering what is going on.

Ooooooooooo

"We are receiving a subspace hail," says a communications officer on board the bridge of the _Gr'oth_.

Koloth glances at the communications officer. She had been assigned to the _Gr'oth_ less than a year before. The one remarkable trait she has are bone ridges on her forehead. A quarter of the crew have ridges, and even the children of those with smooth foreheads had ridges.

The reason for this was a long story, with its roots over a century before.

An image appears on the bridge's viewscreen. It is an operations room, with what Koloth recognizes as consoles. The people at the console have a general appearance of scaly skin, two legs and four arms, and a head with a mouth, two eyes on the front, and two larger eyes on the side. They are all clad in clothing that is recognizable as working uniforms used by military forces across this part of the galaxy.

"This is Husnock National Guard," says one of the aliens, in a squeaky, chirping, high-pitched voice. "Identify yourself."

The Klingons on the Gr'oth giggle at the voices.

"This is the Klingon warship _Gr'oth_ ," says Koloth. "We are passing through your space."

"We will transmit a trajectory for you to follow."

"We think we would like to continue or current trajectory," says the Klingon captain.

"You will not. You will follow the prescribed trajectory until you leave Husnock national space."

Koloth's eyes roll back upon hearing the childlike voice making demands.

"What should we do, sir?" asks the conn officer, smirking at the squeaky voice making demands.

"We will continue following the Federation ship. Close the channel"

"Copy."

"Long range sensors identify three ships on an intercept course," says a crewman.

"We are being hailed again," says the communications officer.

"Ignore them," says Koloth.

Three wedge-shaped ships intercept the D-7, matching its speed and course. All three of them are at least as large as the Klingon battlecruiser. The bridge crew of the _Gr'oth_ are aware of this.

"Sir," says a bridge officer, "it may be wise to at least listen to what these Husnock want."

"We've nothing to fear from them."

The three Husnock ships open fire on the D-7 with beams, momemtarily revealing an outline of a shield, which then vanishes.

"Shields are down," says a crewman sitting at a bridge console.

"We are being hailed again," says a communications officer.

"On screen," says Koloth.

The imager of a Husnock appears. He has the same basic look, but instead of sitting in an operations center, he sits in a room, with a wall behind him.

"This is General Bars of the Husnock National Guard," says the Husnock. "I am informed your shields are down. We will send you the trajectory. You will follow this trajectory until you are out of our space. Deviate from this trajectory, and we will destroy you."

"We're receiving a trajectory," says the navigation officer. "It will take us to other side of Husnock space."

Kolioth heartily laughs. "Set course," says the Klingon captain. "Maximum warp."

The _Gr'oth_ increases its warp factor on a course leading it away from the _Enterprise_.

Ooooooo

"The Klingon ship is pulling away, maximum warp," says Ensign Chekhov.

"We are being hailed," says Lieutenant Uhura.

General Bars appears on the viewscreen, identifying himself. The _Enterprise's_ translator modulates his voice to sound deeper.

"This is Captain James Kirk of the Federation starship _Enterprise_ ," says the captain. "We are just passing through your space. As I understand, Federation ships have safe passage through Husnock space."

"That is true," replies the general. "All Federation ships may peacefully and lawfully traverse our space. But what of the ship you are towing?"

"Well, General, they were a crippled ship. We could not make repairs in deep space, but we are towing them to the nearest Federation starbase."

"There is a National Guard ship repair facility, only a little more than a day's travel at your speed," says Bars. "You can tow the ship there."

"Thank you for your offer, but we are okay. Our guests choose to stay with us."

"Perhaps I should meet with your guests and ask them if they wish to seek help from us instead. We will transmit an orbital trajectory around one of our star systems, where we shall rendezvous. We promise not to take your guests by force."

"I really don't think…"

"If you keep us from meeting with your guests, who are traveling through our space, your passage shall neither be considered peaceful nor lawful."

"Very well then," says Kirk.

"Could it be that the Husnock figured out the nature of the Talaxian ship?" asks Spock.

"Mr. Chekhov, long-range sensors?"

"Three ships on an intercept course," says Chekhov.

"At our speed, when will we arrive at our prescribed trajectory?" asks Kirk.

"Eighteen hours," says Lieutenant Sulu.

"Spock, I want an emergency senior staff meeting," says Kirk.


	5. Chapter 5

_Captain's log, supplemental. Due to the Husnocks' request to meet with the Talaxians at a star system eighteen hours away, I convened an emergency meeting of the senior staff. I wanted to discuss an order I received from Starfleet Command._

"We have a dilemma here," says Captain James Kirk, sitting at the conference table inside the main conference room.

The others pay attention to the captain.

"I received written orders from Starfleet Command," continues the captain. "I kept these orders to myself in case we did not have to do this. My orders were to take whatever measures necessary to keep the ship out of alien hands, and to destroy the ship if necessary to prevent it from falling into alien hands."

The others exchange glances at these orders.

"That would strand the Talaxians here," says Lieutenant Hendorff, the head of security.

"Scotty, what have you found out about the Talaxian ship's propulsion systems?"

"I haven't scratched the surface, Captain," answers the chief engineer. " It would take months to figger out how the ship travels the galaxy in less than a day. And that's assumin' the schematics and what I scanned were complete. We may be missin' some critical ingredient."

Kirk stays silent for a few minutes. He understands the huge strategic advantage the Federation would gain if it could send ships to the other side of the galaxy in a year, let alone a day. And yet, could he strand the Talaxians for what could be years?

"When I entered Starfleet Academy," he says, "I took an oath to uphold the values of the Federation. My officers and crew did the same. But there is a price upon which we can be called to pay, at any time, for those values. For over thirty of those under my command, life was the price they paid. If my Starfleet commission is the price I pay, so be it."

The other officers in the room nod.

"I support your decision, Captain," says Commander Spock. "But have you considered any third options before resorting to outright defiance of superior orders?"

"That is another thing that I would like to discuss."

Oooooooo

Once again, Scotty had beamed aboard the _Gronte_ along with the Talaxian engineers. Ever since the Enterprise rescued the Talaxian ship, he had been on board to assist its engineering crew and gather as much information as he could on the ship's systems, especially its propulsion systems. He had been spending far too much time away from the Enterprise's engines, although he supposed Lieutenants Keenser and Tilly could cover for him, at least for the short term.

"This should do it," says Talaxian Chief Engineer Jalvern, securing the last connection. "Though I wonder why you want our own long range communications online."

"Well, we're figgering that if we fix yer communications, ye can send a message to the Talaxian authorities," answers Scotty. "They might be able to send a ship here all the way from Talax by the end of the day."

"it would take over thirty years for the message to get there."

"Excuse me?"

"It would take thirty years for a message to reach Talax, if our star charts are right."

"Let me get this straight," says Scotty. "You dinnae have real time communication with Talax from across the galaxy."

Jalvern is hit with a realization, like walking into a clean glass door. "You thought we traveled all the way from Talax under our own power."

"You didn't?"

"I need to speak with my captain."

"As do I," says Scotty.

Ooooooooo

Captain Mux enters the captain's private dining room on board the _Enterprise_. He sits on a table, opposite that of Captain Kirk.

"I must say, this is a much larger captain's room than on my own ship," says the Talaxian. The table is at least big enough to seat four. "I suppose you did not call me and my chief engineer just to show me your dining room."

"If we are to work together on this, we are going to need to trust each other," says the Starfleet captain. "How did you end up traveling across the galaxy."

"It's a long story," says Mux.

"We have an hour before we meet with the aliens who control this space," replies Kirk.

"The primary mission of the _Gronte_ is to find ancient artifacts and technologies-much more wondrous than what is available in our part of the galaxy," says Mux. "In particular, archaeologists believed there was a galactic empire three thousand years ago, that could travel from one end to another in less than a day. Ancient Imperial artifacts sell at a high price. We've had contracts with the Talaxian government."

"Continue."

"We were exploring what we believed to be an old Imperial battle station. I explored inside. I found this..holographic display of a farm. The station's automated systems beamed me back board my ship, and then it happened."

Kirk is certain what Mux is about to say. "What happened?"

"We were scanned with a tetryon beam, and then we were hit with this wave and flung all the way to this part of the galaxy. There were twelve killed, including Captain Vakit. We were on a freefall into a black hole when you showed up."

"So it would be true that the _Gronte_ could not traverse the galaxy in less than a day."

"Correct."

"And under maximum cruising speed, how long would it take for you to get back to Talax?"

"According to the star charts, over a hundred years. You thought you could learn how to make faster ships. We kept our secret because we were in another part of the galaxy. We had absolutely no way to well, check your references. Ancient technology is worth a lot; we've had to fight off pirates more than once."

"I suppose I should do my part to build trust," says Kirk. "I had orders to destroy your ship if it were to fall into alien hands, even if they were friendly."

The Talaxian captain pauses for half a minute. "I understand. I mean, your superiors thought we could cross the galaxy in a day. That kind of technology would have major strategic value."

"I will inform my superiors of this development."

An intercom buzzes. The captain walks to a box mounted on the wall. "Kirk here," he says.

"Captain, we have arrived at the coordinates," says Sulu.

Ooooooooo

 _Captain's log. Due to my latest report, Starfleet Command has rescinded its order to destroy the_ Gronte _. A Husnock general met with the Talaxians and they accepted the offer to have the Talaxian ship repaired at a Husnock space dock. Repairs have been underway, and are expected to be completed by tomorrow. In the meantimer, I have received another order from Starfleet Command, which I am to carry out._

Captain James Kirk walks through the corridors of the _Gronte_ , guided by one of the Talaxian officers. They do look utilitarian, with exposed pipes and conduits, just like the cargo ships of Federation worlds, although some of it is due to the fact that repairs are not yet complete. From what Scotty had told him, the ship looked much, much worse when they first rescued it.

The Talaxian leads him to the cargo bay. There are still containers strewn about from the disaster that sent the ship to the other end of the galaxy. There are just a little under thirty Talaxians gathered in the cargo bay.

"Our host, Captain Kirk, has some news for us," says Captain Mux.

"Greetings, gentlemen," says Kirk. "My superiors have been informed of your predicament. We are aware that your ship, under its own power, will take over one hundred years to reach Talax. So the President of the United Federation of Planets, in his official capacity, has given this ship permission to travel through Federation space.

"And the President has also offered legal residency to all officers and crew of the _Gronte_. Those among you who choose to leave the employ of the _Gronte_ may travel with the _Enterprise_ until we take you to Starbase 66. The Refugee Resettlement Bureau will provide assistance in forging a new life among the worlds of the Federation."

The Talaxians all look at each other.

"You don't have to make a decision now," says Mux. "This ship should be fully spaceworthy by tomorrow. You can tell the captain your decision."

Ooooooooo

The next day, the crew of the _Gronte_ all gather at the cargo bay. The ship's systems had been tested, and the instruments and gauges indicate the ship can travel at warp.

A crewman draws on a chalk line on the floor, near the cargo airlock, which is connected to a docking port in the Husnock space dock. Captain Kirk and two Starfleet crewmen stand by the airlock.

"You all know that the Federation has offered all crew members legal residency," says Captain Mux. "If that is your choice, then I want to thank you for your service here. These past few days have been trying times.

"As for me, I will take the _Gronte_ home. Now, under its own power, we would die before even the halfway point.

"But, we may find wormholes. Or ancient technology that would allow us to travel faster. Remember that over the past century, we have been able to develop faster propulsion systems from what scavengers like us have found.

"If you choose to stay, I can not promise a way home. I can promise that we will stay together."

Four of the Talaxians cross the chalk line. One of them turns around.

"Captain Mux," says Rem. "I just want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me to serve on your ship."

"Are you sure you want to live in the Federation?" asks Mux.

"I don't have anyone waiting for me on Talax, sir. I want to stake a life of my own here. Good luck on your long sojourn, Captain."

"Good luck to you too, Rem."

Rem takes one last glance at the crew, looking at the surroundings of the ship, the lights above, the metallic bulkheads, the scattered cargo containers, before he turns and walks through the cargo airlock.

Oooooooo

Mux enters the bridge and sits on the captain's chair. He looks around. There were no more loose wires or missing panels. The bridge looks pretty much the same as it did for the past ten years. The chairs, the viewscreen, the consoles where the bridge crew monitor the ship's systems. He takes a deep breath.

"All systems operational?" asks the captain.

"Navigation operational," satys a crewman, sitting at one of the consoles.

"Shields operational."

"Short range communications online."

" Long range communications online."

"Life support online for all decks."

Mux presses a button on the armrest of his chair. "Engineering," he says. "Everything okay?"

"Warp core is online," says Jalven. "all systems operating within tolerance."

"We are readyo to depart," says Mux.

"Releasing docking clamps," the bridge crew hears the Husnock controller say. Everyone on the bridge feels a jolt. "docking clamps are released. You are clear to depart space dock."

"Take us out."

"Yes, sir," says the helmsman.

The _Gronte_ emerges out of the space dock and into the open vacuum. Mux can see a field of stars.

"We are at a safe distance from the space dock," says the navigator.

" _Gronte_ , this is _Enterprise_ ," says Captain Kirk. "Good luck and Godspeed."

"Set a course for home," says Mux, a tear flowing down his cheek.


End file.
